With the calendar flipping to September, fantasy baseball owners are flocking to their waiver wire in search of prospects who could not only help them over the final month of the season, but may have some future value in 2020 as well.
Who wouldn’t want to add a talent like Jo Adell or Forrest Whitley to their roster? Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work that way, as many clubs will leave their top prospects where they are if their affiliates are in the minor league playoffs, which are going on right now. Teams also tend to hold back their more high-profile talent in order to send them to the ultra-competitive Arizona Fall League and play against the rest of the top youngsters. The refusal to promote isn’t a punishment. It is what the club feels is best for their developing talent.
But where does that leave the fantasy community? Of the top 40 prospects in baseball, nearly half have already been committed to either staying put or headed to the Arizona Fall League, and that number is likely to grow. Perhaps a few names will trickle onto the big league rosters, but you cannot afford to just sit and wait. You need help and you need it now.
As a result, it is time to put all preconceived notions aside. Forget about names. It’s all about numbers. You need a statistical boost, and it shouldn’t matter from which team or player you get it. Perennial bottom-feeders, the Marlins and Tigers are two teams that have continuously been avoided by contending fantasy owners, and though that may have been fine two months ago, today is a much different story.
Currently manning the hot corner in Miami is former and forgotten top prospect Starlin Castro. He washed out with Cubs, wore out his welcome with the Yankees and ultimately landed in Miami, where the fantasy community left him for dead. His first season with the Fish was more of an exile and adjustment period, but he has seemingly turned things around and is now showing signs of life. In fact, over the past 30 days, Castro has posted a .383/.402/.692 slash line with eight home runs, 28 RBIs and 21 runs scored. A glance at the upcoming schedule shows a lot of mediocre pitching and parks much friendlier to hitters than the home stadium.
If speed, batting average and OBP are in need, Tigers outfielder Victor Reyes should be on your roster. The 24-year old switch-hitter has posted a .373 average with a .391 OBP over the past 30 days (26 games) and has three stolen bases and a dozen runs scored. The numbers are far from gaudy, but those three steals have him in the top 20 overall for the time period and vital to your place in the standings in that category.
Yes, everyone wants the big name. We love the shiny new toy. But when your options are limited, there is nothing wrong with sifting through the bargain barrel.
Howard Bender is the VP of operations and head of content at Fantasy Alarm.com. Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 4-6 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy sports advice, MLB lineups and DFS weather updates.